NEWS

 

 

A consultative meeting on the risks and threats to national security stemming from the ongoing conflicts and measures to minimise them was held at the Presidential Building

 

 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

I would like to thank the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister, the Chief of Defence and the heads of the security services for the consultative meeting held today, where we discussed the risks and threats to national security as a result of the ongoing conflicts and the measures to minimise them, as well as the need for technological renewal of the structures of the national security protection system.

 

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Bulgarian Government for its swift response to the return of our compatriots from Israel. Completing this operation remains a priority.

 

As a result of the reports presented by the services and ministries, we united around the position that there is currently no direct threat to the national security of the country, but the measures taken by the government to prevent the risk remain in force. At the same time, there is a trend towards a deterioration of the security environment in the wake of the military operations in Israel, the ongoing war in Ukraine, the crises in Syria and the South Caucasus, and the growing tensions in the Western Balkans, which present this country with new challenges.

 

The escalation of hostilities between Hamas and Israel and the involvement of new players raises the risk of increased migration flows to this country with potential infiltration of members of terrorist organisations.

 

The analysis of current military conflicts clearly shows an increasing application of technologies and product solutions with military and civilian use, enabling entirely new means of warfare and leading to serious asymmetric effects in the defeat of critical infrastructure targets, combat equipment and troops. This highlights a capability deficit of national security protection structures both in their ability to counter these new threats and in our potential to apply such capabilities. 

 

The new challenges require a thorough analysis of the existing capabilities of our structures for the protection of national security and necessitate the acquisition of new capabilities that are adequate to contemporary threats. In this regard, it is necessary to carefully review and update the normative basis regulating the activities of the armed forces, the Ministry of the Interior and the security services at a high strategic level, such as strategic documents, doctrines, tactics, techniques and procedures, modernisation plans, as well as the normative capabilities to accelerate the process of acquiring and developing the necessary defence products. It is important to note that these processes in the current situation require an accelerated procedure so that we can be adequate to the threats that are developing at a really high speed. 

 

The surprise, even shock, of the first hours of Hamas' brutal aggression against Israel clearly demonstrated the enormous importance of the security services and their adequacy. That is why the acquisition, the use of high-tech systems to acquire timely and reliable information, to process and protect it, remains a priority. There is no alternative to technological upgrading of the security services. 

 

Countering the increased migratory pressure, which also increases the risk of infiltration of terrorist elements into our territory, requires reliable protection of the Bulgarian border. This implies both the repair and maintenance of the existing barrier systems and the urgent acquisition of new technical systems to monitor, track and record attempts to cross the border illegally. It also requires increased mobility and effective access control systems at border crossings. We must continue our efforts, to work with our European partners for their even greater support.  The technological renewal of the Border Police Directorate General is also helping to achieve the priority national objective of Schengen membership more quickly. I am pleased that we have full consensus that we must continue with these efforts, as well as to complete the establishment of the task force initiated by Bulgaria to effectively counter the cross-border organised network for illegal trafficking in human beings in a faster order.   

 

Ensuring security in a world saturated with huge dynamics of geopolitical processes and complex nature of risks and threats is a major task of the state policy, which should lead to adequate development of the defence capabilities of the armed forces. 

 

For years, the focus of the Bulgarian army's modernisation has been on large and expensive projects - the aircraft, the naval vessels, the infantry fighting vehicles. Without their implementation it is unthinkable to talk about modern armed forces. At the same time, the analysis of modern conflicts has clearly highlighted the tendency of ever-increasing application of cheap, affordable technological solutions, including commercial ones, which give this asymmetric advantage. Drones of all kinds - for surveillance, reconnaissance, targeting and strike - are increasingly being put to use. We cannot afford to spend colossal financial resources thinking only about the latest conflicts, without looking at what the current trends are and how technology will develop in the future. Anti-drone systems, radio-electronic warfare and cyber-defence systems, information and psychological operations, the timely use of space and, most importantly, the linking of our forces and assets into a single information space and achieving high interoperability with NATO allies are becoming critical to the development of modern defence capabilities.

 

The technological renewal of the structures of the national security protection system should mobilise Bulgarian science and economy to the maximum extent. This was also the subject of our discussion, and here we really have a consensus that we should develop both defence science and the economy as much as possible, because we have both tradition and facilities, and experience in research and production activities, and most importantly, we have trained personnel. This should also be a prime task, and we have a common understanding that the Centre for Space and Unmanned Systems Information Surveillance, Coordination and Management, which is set out in the Recovery and Resilience Plan, should be accelerated. It will make a significant contribution not only to the protection of our nature, to the development of the Bulgarian economy, but also to strengthening our security. This centre should be built jointly with the cyber security centre, also set out in the Recovery and Resilience Plan.

 

Consequently, after this meeting, we have a common understanding that along with the continued implementation of major modernisation projects, efforts should be urgently directed towards low-cost projects that give us information superiority and asymmetric advantage. But we cannot talk about security without having a long-term focused policy for the people in the national security system. The worrying problem that requires emergency and urgent solutions is stemming the outflow of personnel, attracting young people with qualities, programmes for their motivation, professional training and realisation. 

 

This meeting will not be the last, because the security environment requires all institutions to join forces. It will only be the beginning of a much more productive interaction at all levels to address a number of important issues. We need to be aware that investments in security come at a price, often too high, but without security there is no sustainable development and prosperity. I believe that the consensus we have reached today will find acceptance both in the institutions and in society. 

 

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